1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device for raising or erecting fish into uniform upright belly-back position, the device comprising a guiding chute guiding the fish lying on one of their sides and in the direction of their longitudinal axis as well as an uprighting station including a controlling edge arranged above its longitudinal center edge, which edge, together with a guiding chute forms a passage variable by displacement.
2. Description of Prior Art
Such a device is known from Norwegian Pat. No. 104 933. It has a channel arranged inclined for the longitudinal guiding of the fish, a controlling plate being arranged to yield resiliently above the longitudinal center of the channel. The cross-section of the controlling plate is formed V-shaped in the region of its free end, the ridge line standing opposite the bottom of the channel and serving as a controlling edge.
Another device having a storing channel arranged inclined can be taken from DE-OS No. 27 17 483, which channel receives the fish lying on their back and carries out an oscillating movement in order to convey the fish, if necessary. A rail is positioned above the longitudinal centre of the storing channel, which rail has the object of limiting the lateral free space of the fish in such a manner that on the one hand fish of differing thicknesses can be conveyed and on the other a blocking is avoided.
Further, similar devices can be taken from Russian Certificate of Authorship No. 109 910, Norwegian Pat. No. 99 152, British Pat. No. 13 531 and German Pat. No. 21 02 590. These suggestions show guiding chutes with cross-section forms differing along their lengths, which chutes are to raise the fish into an upright, uniform belly-back position by using the kinetic energy of the fish produced by gravity and due to their center of gravity being eccentric with respect to the fish height.
As practice has shown, a sufficiently secure function cannot be achieved with correspondingly formed devices. This is because at least a part of the fish to be handled have a differing center of gravity and/or contour due to distortion and/or damages, recently occurring more and more due to set or drift net fishing so that incorrect influences occur. Furthermore the fish tend to block which leads to a congestion or breakdown of the machine.
3. Object of the Invention
It is therefore the object of the invention to improve the known concept such that the effectiveness of the device is guaranteed, largely independent of the quality of the fish to be handled and with lowest insecurity rate, wherein fish having no head can be brought to an upright position as well.